Behind A Child's Eyes
by BlackjackCF
Summary: Edit: Sephiroth wasn't always the cold insane man portrayed in FF7... no one is born evil. Once he was a person who could love... until the tortures of Hojo twisted him...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Birth of a Demon**

_He walked down the white staircase and stopped, brushing his blonde bangs out of his face. Looking around, he found himself in the City of Ancients… again. It had been two years. Two years since she died._

_He sighed and walked toward the altar and stopped just before he stepped into the holy water. He saw no evidence of the evil deed that had happened that fateful day. He wondered, how could such a place so pure be a holder of such evil deeds?_

"_Cloud?"_

_He was startled out of his thoughts and he turned to meet a large red beast. He seemed to be sort of a cross between a lion and a wolf. His brown eyes showed intelligence. On his head hung many feathers. They were usually white ones, but this time they were black, as a sign of mourning. The most remarkable thing about him was his ability to talk._

"_Here again," the red beast said, giving a cross between a throaty purr and a sigh. "It's been a while… two years. How time seems to fly."_

_The blonde man had to disagree. Every minute was pure agony… every day was just living Hell, and a year… something far worse than Hell… if it was possible._

"_I guess the others will arrive soon." Nanaki said._

_Cloud could only nod. As if on cue, two more AVALANCHE members stepped down from the stairs and into the room with the altar. One was a large dark man with a machine gun arm. His real arm had been badly damaged after taking shots. Next to him stood a slender girl of about five-three. Her figure was well… curvy. The large man was dressed in a large dark tuxedo and the girl, a black dress._

_Cloud's stomach lurched when he saw the girl, and quickly turned his head away. He had always felt that way every single time he saw her… even when he was fourteen. She had been his first crush, and his feelings had not gone away over the long years. _

"_Hey Cloud." Tifa's voice echoed in the quiet room, Cloud could not meet her eyes. How could he ever meet them again?_

_What was in her voice? Sadness? Hate? Guilt? Pain? "Hey," he nearly slapped himself, he sounded stupid stupid stupid. _

"_Yo, spiky. How's it goin'? Haven't seen ya fer a while. Why doncha visit no mo'?" Barret asked, his words filled with slang._

_Cloud didn't answer, as another person walked into the room. He had goggle on his forehead, which lifted his blonde hair up. He had an unclean look about because he had a stubble on his face that showed he hadn't shaved for a while. He smelled slightly of cigarette ash, and he was dressed in a suit. He was the best pilot in the world and his pride was the Highwind, an aircraft stolen from ShinRa._

"_Hey, Cid," Red said, getting in a sitting position and swishing his fiery tail about._

"_Yeah yeah yeah. Long time no see. Had no fun for a while, not since…" Cid stopped, when everyone turned their heads away. "Eh… sorry."_

"_Glad to see that you don't have a cigarette in your mouth," Cloud finally spoke up._

_Cid shrugged. "Ahh… I've been aimin' to quit. Shera says it's drivin' her nuts and I guess I should do her a favor or two, since she saved my life and all…" Everyone threw looks at each other. Cid turned bright pink and quickly changed the subject. "Uhh… soooo… Vincy and the kid ain't here yet?"_

"_Here!"_

_Yuffie jumped in cheerfully from the stairs. She was not dressed in her normal clothes like everyone else, but in a black shirt, and light black pants. She was the youngest one out of all of them, and since their adventure, got considerably more mature. Her once short brown hair was now grown out, and she had blossomed from a pretty girl into a beautiful young lady._

"_Hey, Yuf, how's it going?" Tifa asked. She and Yuffie had this bond between them that was almost sisterly. It once included Aeris but now that she was gone… _

"_I'm good! How's everyone doing? I've missed you guys a lot! All year Dad's been introducing me to all these err… important rich people… and you know the lot. Snobs. Can't stand them. Had to get out of there. I keep telling him that his job is not for me." The young ninja scratched her head, looking at everyone, who stared blankly back at her, she sighed. "Gee! Everyone musta had a bad time this year! Barret… how's Marlene… and Cid… how's Shera? Cloud… how about you, how's your job as a mercenary going? Tifa, what about your bar? Is it doing well? Red? Your research? …And where's Vince?"_

_Everyone shrugged and said that their loved one or business was going well. Red perked up. "I saw Vincent… he came to Cosmo Canyon to do some research. He didn't look too well… he looked paler than usual and had a limp. He said he probably wasn't going to come to this. We found some pretty interesting things about… Him."_

_Tifa noticed that Cloud's hands clenched into fists and his knuckles went white. He was trying very hard to not shake, but was doing a bad job of hiding it._

_She and Yuffie exchanged glances, and shrugged. Barret let out a big sigh. "It's da pas'… wut do we needta learn 'bout him 'neways? He's jus' a damn crazy bastard… and today's not a good day… especially here…"_

_Nanaki straightened up even more. "That's what's interesting. You see… Sephiroth he wasn't always a bad guy. I stumbled upon the journal of one of his caretakers… and that particular caretaker… just happens to be Aeris' dad."_

_At the mention of both Sephiroth and Aeris, Cloud cracked, he tried to keep all the anger in for a minute, but then exploded. "I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT BASTARD'S NAME AGAIN IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS HER NAME!"_

_Everyone went quiet, they stared at him and he stared back, his blue eyes alight with a flame that had been stifled for all these years._

_But Cloud wasn't quite done yet. "SEPHIROTH WAS A COLD BLOODED MURDERER AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN CHANGE THAT! HE BURNED NIB…" he stopped for a minute, unable to say his town's own name. "HE… HE BURNED NIBELHEIM… AND EVERYONE WAS KILLED! HE ALMOST KILLED TIFA… AND ZACK! THEN HE KILLED AERIS AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CLONES… AND HE TRIED TO BRING F---IN' METEOR DOWN ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US AND KILL US ALL!"_

_There was a stunned silence for a moment. The blonde man sighed as if he had just let out a demon. He was about to apologize when Red spoke up. "Are you quite done yet?"_

"_Yes. I'm sorry… I just couldn't keep it in…" Cloud gasped. "Damn… I've never been that angry before…"_

_Yuffie gave a hissy whistle. "Note to self: Never get Cloud mad at you." _

_The red beast held up a paw. "Never mind Cloud. From what you went through, I'm sure that you'd be angry. You had kept it inside for so long, it was going to come out sooner or later."_

_Cloud was still breathing hard. Tifa put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and his breathing eased. Their eyes met briefly. "Alright… what were you going to tell me, Red?"_

"_Sephiroth… was not always evil. From what I collected, he once had a heart… and he loved those most close to him. I found it best to tell it here, where Aeris lies." There was a sharp intake of breath at the mention of Sephiroth and Aeris's name, but Cloud did not explode again._

"_Alright," he tried his best to keep his voice calm, but it shook. "Tell me,"_

-----

Many men and women in white lab coats scrambled around. Hojo's son was coming.

On one of the beds laid a woman with blonde hair. She was a beautiful woman, her face was thin and soft. Her nose was a bit pointed, revealing her heritage. Her sea blue eyes were watery from her pain. She clutched to her swollen abdomen, covered in only a blue and white hospital gown.

Standing near the woman on the bed was a man. His face was pale and he looked sickly, but he had always looked this way. In his brown eyes showed deceit, and under them, were bags, showing that he had not slept well. He had horn-rimmed glasses set upon his face, and they didn't seem to fit him very well. His oily hair showed that he had not taken the time to take a bath for a long time. "Don't worry now, dear," he said in a sneery voice. "You'll be fine. Our baby's going to be a strong one."

He tried to sound concerned, but failed miserably. The woman smiled, missing the 'fake' part. "H..ojo…" she whispered, and groaned from another contraction.

"Sshh… you'll be fine. I need to check up on one of my experiments, I'll be right back… ok?"

The woman on the bed nodded, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Hojo didn't even bother to wipe away the sweat like a good husband would, and turned to a guard standing nearby. "You, watch over her."

"Yes, Hojo," the man on guard could barely hide the contempt for the scientist in his voice.

Hojo turned away and was soon out of the room, grinning and muttering to himself. "Yes… she is a fool… hidden by my 'love' for her…" he snickered loudly, causing everyone around to look at him. "Oh yes… our son will be perfect… absolutely perfect…"

"Vincent…" the woman looked at the guard.

"Lucrecia," the man said coldly.

"Oh please, Vincent, don't be mad at me…" Lucrecia sounded desperate.

"Lucrecia, Lucrecia. You _know_ that he doesn't love you. You know that the only reason he shared his bed with you was for you to bear him a child. You know what he will do to your child. Why didn't you listen to me?" the man hissed, turning away.

The woman cried. "That is not true, Vincent! You lie! You know he loves me!"

Vincent's brown eyes filled up with tears. "You know you're just denying the truth."

The woman gasped as another contraction came to her. "You're selfish, Vincent."

"Why? Just because _I'm_ the one that really loves you? …Because I'm the one that really cares for you. I will be the one to shed tears for you when you're in pain… Hojo will do nothing! He's just a sadistic bastard… and he's going to use your child for his insane super-SOLDIER project! He's going to infuse your child with _mako_… do you hear me… _mako_!"

She clapped her hands over her ears and screamed softly. "Oh…"

"_Don't 'oh' me._"

"Vincent… I… I think the baby's really coming… tell Hojo…"

The man clenched his fists and fought against his emotions. "Alright. If you wish me to tell that scumbag."

He walked out, his cloak flying at the pace that he was going.

-----

Hojo extracted the Jenova cells, and put it into the hypodermic needle. He then mixed it with mako so the substance glowed. "Once every eight hours. Oh yes. Three shots a day. He'll be strong enough then… he'll need one as soon as he's born… so he can develop an immune system immediately. Hahaha… you are a brilliant man, Hojo… oh yes…"

"_My dear brilliant Hojo_, you're child is being born at the minute." Vincent said icily.

"Ah, good!" Hojo walked out with the hypodermic needle, laughing to himself.

"Crazy bastard," Vincent muttered as he went in step with the mad scientist.

-----

"Sir! Congratulations! Your son!" the nurse gave a false cheery voice, while inside she was nearly vomiting with disgust.

Hojo examined the baby boy. He looked quite healthy and instead of normal colored hair, it was silver. Signs of the treatment… it was working! The scientist smirked and took out the hypodermic needle. "I need to give my son his treatment."

The nurse looked horrified. "Sir… what are you doing!"

"My son needs to be strong," he said, taking the child from the woman's arms. "I know what I'm doing. This is my own son. Do you think I'd hurt my own son?"

"Hojo! No! Not to Sephiroth!" Lucrecia screamed.

He laughed maniacally. "Shut up, woman!" He brought the hypodermic needle down into the baby's backside and the child wailed loudly.

"HOJO!" Lucrecia cried as the needle plunged into the child's skin.

Vincent clenched his fists and advanced forward. "Hojo, this has gone too damn far! I can't watch you do that to a newborn child! And think about your own wife!"

Hojo turned, taking out the hypodermic needle. He handed the child roughly back to the nurse. "_You will address me as sir!_ _And this is my own son! I can do whatever I want with him! He is my own flesh and blood! What need you to run your nose into my business! I don't need you worrying about _my_ wife! Get your own damn woman!"_

Vincent did breathing exercises. "Very well… _sir_."

Both their eyes locked in a deadly gaze. Neither of them noticed that Lucrecia was in a critical state. Nurses and doctors rushed around them, but neither looked away. Finally, when a nurse came and said, "Please sirs, this lady…" Vincent turned away.

Hojo smirked and walked away, nearly whooping in joy that his plans were working.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Learning to Trust**

Lucrecia laid on the bed, weeping quietly to herself. Not far away, Vincent stood, muttering curses under his breath. He couldn't take it any longer and finally burst out with, "Why didn't you listen to me!"

"Vincent… I'm sorry…" there was a long pause as she sniffed loudly and wiped away a droplet that escaped past her jaw. "Bring my son to me… please… I wish to hold him…" she whimpered, her face in her hands as she quailed under his gaze. "I know I should have listened to you… I was so blind… I'm so sorry Vincent…"

Vincent felt horrible. How could he not? He had hurt the woman he loved with the truth… and even though it was right… it just came right back and smacked him in the face. His arms fell limp to his sides and he sighed. "I'm sorry Lucrecia… I shouldn't have been blaming you… it wasn't your fault at all… it was _Hojo's_." His fists clenched and a strained look came over his face as he said the scientist's name. There was an uneasy silence for a moment until he spoke again, "What was that name… you called your son?"

"S… Sephiroth…" Lucrecia replied in hushed tones, the child's name coming over her lips like a curse.

The man peered at her closely. "Fallen one?" he whispered, his eyes showed that he was confused. _Such a name… like a curse… why would a woman damn her own son that way? _"I will try to bring him back, Lucrecia… I will try…" he looked down at his hands. _I'll try… and I'll not fail… for you… _

_For you…_ he thought, sadly. _You… the one I love… and yet my love has never been returned. Why have you picked such an evil man? Why were you so foolish? Could you not see that I would have cared for you and would have always been there for you? _How could she have been so damn blind that she couldn't see that Hojo would just use her!

A look of utter relief fell over her features and she smiled at him. "Thank you, Vincent… I knew I could always rely on you… you've always been the one there who actually cared…"

The Turk thought she looked beautiful smiling. How could such a beautiful and pure creature like her have been tainted by the evilness of Hojo? How could the gods ever be so cruel as to do this to their own creations?

He turned around and faced the opened door and gave Lucrecia one last look.

_I'll do it only for you… _

He returned her smile slowly. It crept over his face and even though Vincent wasn't feeling so happy… the smile reached his eyes and overwhelmed him.

_I could only smile for you…_

She had smiled again and he quickly turned away, nearly running out the door. Pain heavy in his heart.

-----

In the dark, the small child explored his small crib, which looked hauntingly familiar to a cage. A small red welt had appeared on his small arm where the scientist's needle had pierced his skin.

He felt hungry and followed his instincts given to him by nature. He opened his small mouth and uttered a small but piercing cry. It was met by silence. No one was there.

He cried even harder, small tears rolling down his face. He needed nourishment. It was the only thought in his small childish brain.

Just outside of the baby boy's room were two Shinra soldiers. Vincent walked towards them and stopped. He smiled grimly, knowing that it wouldn't be too much of a problem getting through the guards. "And what manner of monster is so horrifying that it needs two guards to watch it?"

The two guards ignored him and looked straight ahead, stony-faced. Vincent tried again, "Vincent peered into the room and pretended to be surprised. "Ah… such a terrifying monster… a newborn child that should be suckling at his mother's bosom! And listen to his wail! Such a cry that it would deafen even the strongest men!" he feigned laughter. It had sounded hollow and fake to Vincent's ears.

They still ignored him. When he opened his mouth to speak again, one of them snarled and said, "Shut up, Turk! Stop snooping around! Hojo told us of what you can do!"

Vincent raised his hands, pretending to look innocent. "Hey, hey, guys, chill off. I didn't mean to offend or nothing. I'm just saying that it must be really boring guarding a harmless baby when the sun is shining outside and oh… such a good time to stretch the limbs…" he gave a big fake yawn. "I'm getting bored just talking to you two."

They looked at him suspiciously. The one left of the door spoke, "What do you want?" Vincent noticed that this man had a humongous wart right under his butt chin, unhidden by his helmet.

Vincent shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. To talk I guess. Say… what happens if the mother of this kid comes along?" he tried hard to not stare at the wart because it was apparently, the most attractive part of the man's scarred up and pulpy face.

"No one is permitted to enter this room except for Professor Hojo!" the two chorused together.

Outwardly, the man just smiled, inwardly, the words were a blow to the chest. His mask disgusted him, but it stuck to his face like superglue. "I bet you two rehearsed that!" he chuckled softly. "Well, sucks for the woman. And what about the kid? It's his mother!"

"Well, why do _you _care about the kid? He ain't yours," the soldier on the right said, shifting his gun on his shoulder. He rubbed at it and gave a runt of relief. "Swollen as hell…" he muttered under his breath.

Vincent shrugged again, smiling even wider. "I don't know! I'm just curious. I poke around a bit, remember… I'm a Turk."

The soldiers exchanged looks and stared at him, shrugging. "You'll get your face mashed in if you try to poke around here."

The Turk sighed. He was getting exasperated. These two were dimwitted alright, but they weren't dumb enough for them to be fooled out of guarding this place. He raised up his hands and ripped of both of their helmets. They looked at him alarmed and looked as if they wanted to attack, but Vincent was too quick for the both of them. He drove his knuckles into the men's heads, right behind the ears, one of the most unprotected parts of the head. Both of them went down without a sound. He looked satisfied and dragged the two into the room, so no one would see them unless they turned their heads all the way in and peered at the corner.

He could already hear the poor boy crying. Looking towards the crib, he nearly keeled over in shock. A cage for a baby! What the hell was Hojo thinking! He knew that Hojo was sick in the mind… but not like this! To trap a newborn in a cage, and overall, his own son! Sephiroth hadn't even developed his own immune system, he could catch his own death like this!

He quickly opened up the "crib" and lifted Sephiroth out of there. The baby stopped crying almost immediately and stared up at him, his big green eyes emitting a strange glow.

Vincent already knew what the glow was. It was one of the signs that the baby had been injected with Jenova cells. He cradled the boy awkwardly (Turks were made to assassinate people… not carry babies around) and began stealthily walking towards the door. Looking around for anyone, he gently stroked Sephiroth's silver head. He didn't need to do it for the baby was at peace, happy enough to be held.

He quickly stalked toward the room that Lucrecia was resting in. He slowly peered in and found that no one was there but Lucrecia herself and inched in, careful to not startle the baby into crying.

Lucrecia's eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth to not make any noise. "Vincent… you brought him…" she whispered joyously. "How could I ever thank you? Oh Vincent… I truly…" she trailed off speechless.

The Turk turned red in embarrassment and he tried to look nonchalant. "Well, a mother doesn't deserve to be kept away from her baby," he carefully put Sephiroth into his mother's arms. "Keep quiet and I'll stay on watch. I have to bring him back quickly. I had to make the guards go unconscious. It won't be long before someone notices."

Lucrecia nodded, just happy that she had been reunited with her child. Sephiroth grabbed his mother's hair and sucked on it, wondering what this new material was. She laughed softly as tears rolled down her face.

Vincent had turned his back to the door, watching this. He smiled, glad that Lucrecia was happy. This moment had sent a warm tingling feeling through him and he shivered.

Lucrecia had turned his face toward him, her face also lifting up into a smile. Her eyes traveled over his head and suddenly, her face twisted into a look of absolute horror. She clapped one hand over her mouth and tried hard not to shriek.

"What-what's wrong, Lucrecia?" Vincent asked, feeling panic go through him. He had never seen Lucrecia like this before…

"Vincent… be-behind you…" Lucrecia stammered, and gripped the edge of her bed.

He whirled around and found himself face to face with Hojo himself. "Hello, Vincent," Hojo said pleasantly, his hand in his pocket. Vincent noticed that he was holding onto something… and he didn't want to know what.

Slowly, the mad scientist drew out his hand, and in it was a hypodermic needle.

-----

"What is your name dear?"

"Go away!"

"Don't worry… I'm just trying to help."

"No! Your kind kidnapped me!"

"I'm not like them. Please calm down."

The man in the lab coat reached toward the woman. She screamed and pulled back, her long feathery brown hear brushing against his fingers. "Get away from me!" she shrieked, though she tried to look angry, her eyes shined with trepidation.

"Please, calm down. I am your friend," the professor said proffering his hand. "Let's introduce ourselves so we won't be strangers. My name is Professor Gast, I am the Head of the Jenova Project and of the Department of Mako Study." There seemed to be truth and compassion in his eyes.

The woman didn't know what to do. It looked as if the man was really good, unlike the captors. She couldn't be sure… and she couldn't take a chance. She slapped his hand away, "No!"

Gast sat down and just smiled at her. He hoped it looked like a gesture of trust. Overall, he was only trying to be nice to her. "It's ok. I won't do anything to you. I'm only here to study your past and I only want to ask you a few questions. Just sit down and tell me your name and we'll get along just fine."

She looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. She looked around the room. There could be nothing that she could hit him over the head with. It was just a plain white room. It could probably drive one mad living in it. She slowly sat down. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. If she did something bad… maybe he would call in the soldiers and they wouldn't exactly handle her like a queen. Never taking her eyes off of him, she said, warily, "My name is Ifalna."

The professor held out his hand again. It was red from the abuse that she had given it. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Ifalna!"

She extended a shaky hand and their hands met. The professor found that though she had very soft and womanly hands, she had a firm handshake. He gave her a reassuring smile and looked at her intently.

"You're a very pretty woman, Ifalna."

She again looked at him with distrust. What if he meant only to rape her? She began to draw back and her eyes filled with fear, dread, and hatred. Why did she even think about trusting him? She expected him to smile evilly and walk toward her, his eyes filled with lust and give throaty and sexy calls to mock her.

From the expression she had on her face, Gast knew what was on her mind. "Oh! I didn't mean to offend you, Ifalna!" he replied, holding up his hands to show that he didn't mean anything beyond what he said.

Immediately, relief washed over her and she felt guilty for even suspecting the man. She looked back at him and finally spoke. "I'm… I'm sorry… just… ask… your questions."

Gast smiled again. "I'm glad that you can trust me," he scratched his clean-shaven face and grinned again. "Ifalna… I believe that you are an Ancient? Or… what you call a Cetra?"

She nodded, glad that someone could understand. "Yes."

He looked deeply interested. "And what are the Cetra… exactly?"

She sighed and looked thoughtful for a moment. "We… are the Children of the Planet. We were sent to protect it."

"Sort of like the children protecting their mother. I see. And… um… how do you protect the Planet?" he asked, taking a small notepad from his pocket protector and also a pen. He began scribbling down notes immediately.

"The company that you work for, Shinra…" she paused and Gast nodded encouragingly. "They are sucking Mako out from what you call reactors. The Mako, it's the Planet's life. It's like our blood. When all Mako is drained from the Planet, it will be destroyed. My kind is trying to stop this."

Gast thought for a moment, lost in his thoughts. His hands were still scribbling down notes and finally, he said, "Where does Mako come from? Why is it there?"

"Mako… is energy. It is also apart of us… it's our… soul… you can say. When we die, it is returned to the flow of Mako in the Planet, this is called, the Lifestream."

Thoughts whirled in his head and gears began turning. He looked at his pure silver wristwatch which gleamed in the white light. "Well… I guess that's enough for today. I'll send you to a room that you'll be able to rest comfortably in," as if reading her mind, he also added, "And I'll make sure none of the soldiers bother you."

Ifalna watched Gast stand and she did the same. He opened the white door and gestured for her to go first. She smiled for once and walked out first. She sighed, maybe there were some decent people in the world.

* * *

I'm so so sorry thatI didn't update earlier, but it's because I've been busy helping out with a play! Thanks to Insert My Pen Name Here, pinkchocobo13, ZhenAngel, KiReI AyUmI, and Inferno232 for reviewing for the last chapter! Thank you so much! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hmm... it's been about 3 months. Sorry! Sorry! I'M SO SORRY!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**The Beast Within**

Vincent stood planted to his spot, looking down at Hojo. The scientist's arm drew back in slow motion and the needle came down at the Turk's neck.

Suddenly, all of the man's training took over. He ducked down and punched the scientist hard in the stomach. There was a satisfying "oof" from the man.

The hypodermic needle dropped to the floor and it made a loud clatter, but no one paid attention to it. Hojo bent over, groaning in pain. He slowly turned his head up at Vincent. "Get your own damn wife! I don't need you worrying about her! I can take care of her just fine, thank you!"

Vincent brought a fist into his face. The scientist dropped to the floor, clutching it. "You're doing a great job of it! You took away her own son! A newborn child _needs_ his mother to survive!"

Hojo was still on the floor, his hand slowly creeping towards the hypodermic needle. "He doesn't need his damn mother! The Jenova cells have already helped him build his immune system and nervous system! He… will… be a SUPERHUMAN!" with that he leaped up and jabbed the needle into Vincent's carotid artery.

Lucrecia screamed. Dark spots appeared in Vincent's vision and he toppled backwards, pulling the needle out of his neck.

_So damn dizzy…_

He looked at Hojo. Fire coursed through his veins and his brain was hurting like hell. His vision began to blur so he saw four of Hojo. "What the hell did you do to me! What sort of shit did you use!" his words sounded slurred.

His head gave a lurch and he emptied his stomach's contents on the marble floor. Hojo laughed and struck him across the face. "Don't get that shit all over my shoes!" he screamed.

Vincent fell backwards onto the floor, a welt appearing on his face. Hojo laughed loudly. It hurt his head. "I thought you were smarter than that, Vincent. I really did. You disappoint me."

The last thing he heard was Sephiroth's wail as Hojo took the baby back into his arms and the Shinra soldiers running into the room…

-----

"_I think I should be the one to tell this part, Red."_

_Everyone looked up to see Vincent walking into the room. They all noticed that he seemed to have gotten paler and emaciated._

"_Aw damn. And I forgot to hang garlic around my neck," Cid teased, making a cross with his fingers. "What happened to you, Vince? You don't seem to be at the top of your health. Did you get anorexic or something?"_

_Cloud didn't want to think that way, but he had to agree with Cid. The ex-Turk did look like a walking skeleton. The man's cheeks were sunken and his bones were nearly jabbing out of his skin. He seemed to be in a worse condition than before._

"_I could not sleep," Vincent replied, outstretching a bony hand, hauntedly. "Something seemed to call me here. Red, it is best that I tell of what happened from here. You can take on afterwards."_

_Yuffie skipped to Vincent's side and examined him "Whoa! Vincy, you need to eat!" she then proceeded to grabbing his outstretched arm. "Only skin and bones… Vincent…" his skin barely stretched over all the bone. _

_Vincent sighed and retracted his arm. "Don't worry about me, Yuffie. Worry about yourself. After all, you are to rule Wutai."_

_Yuffie shrugged it off lightheartedly. Then Vincent kneeled down, and began his story._

-----

_Darkness. Silence. He wanted to call out for somebody to please come and help him, but his mouth wouldn't move. Nothing would respond, not even his eyes._

Dee… dee… dee…

_Is that a heart monitor? _

Dee… dee… dee…

_It must be… it's so damn annoying…_

_Urrrggghhh…_

Again came the darkness and silence, save for his thoughts. He focused hard on his eyelids, but they still wouldn't budge.

"Hello Vincent. I just hope you're conscious to hear this. When you wake up… it'll be a big surprise!" Hojo's voice… laughter… "I love surprises!"

Suddenly pain shot through his limbs. "Eeeeuuuggghghh!"

Was that him screaming? He couldn't be sure. He wasn't sure about anything… just that he was going to die from all this pain…

His eyes suddenly snapped open. Hojo stood above him. His vision was still blurred. He tried to wipe at his eyes with his left arm, but something cool and metal touched his face. He looked at it. A claw… his arm was a claw! "No!"

Hojo laughed manically. "Like your new improvements? Look around, Vincent, look where you are."

He turned his head a little. Was he in some sort of box! A… a… coffin! "You… you're sick!" he screamed, his voice croaky from disuse.

"Am I?" Hojo asked and laughed. "Well, now it's time to say goodnight." With that, he slammed the coffin lid shut.

"Sick bastard!" he screamed, pounding against the lid with his mutilated arm.

The coffin lid suddenly flew open, and Hojo fell back, his eyes wide open. Vincent walked towards him, his claw slowly opening and closing. Looking down at it, he suddenly made a grab for the scientist.

The claw went around Hojo's scrawny neck and Vincent easily lifted him up. Surprisingly, he could feel the blood flow in the man's jugular with his metal claw. "I'm glad that this arm isn't totally useless," he snarled and found his voice deeper, he hadn't noticed when he had screamed. "Shouldn't have made it operable… right?"

Hojo's hands came around the metal arm's wrist, but it was no use, it was metal and it wouldn't do much good. "D…damn… y…you…" he spluttered, his windpipe nearly all the way shut.

"Damn me? Hahahaha," Vincent thought his laugh sounded way too evil, almost like those stereotypical villains that you would only see in children's movies. "_Damn you_, Hojo! Look what you did to me!"

"Get away from Lucrecia!" Hojo forced out, his eyes bulging and face purple from the lack of oxygen. "G… GUARDS!"

Shinra soldiers in blue and red armor came running into the room, all of their guns raised. Vincent laughed again. "Hojo… you coward… do you need that many soldiers to neutralize me? Just when did I become so dangerous?" the last words came out as a hiss.

"Fire…" Hojo croaked.

The commanding soldiers raised their hands and the blue soldiers fired at Vincent, some even drawing their swords and getting closer to the Turk.

A bullet flicked by Vincent's ear and he clamped his real hand onto it. Another one struck him in the temple.

He came a groan and dropped Hojo. His hand immediately moved to the wound and he felt warm blood pouring dripping down.

_Am I going to die?_

_**You will not die!**_

What the hell was that voice in his mind? Was he going insane? Another bullet suddenly warned him of the danger that he was in. A bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit a machine.

There was an explosion of sparks. Little flicks of orange went into the air and some landed on the carpet.

_**Fire…**_

And just like that… the voice was right. A part of the carpet caught with a spark and in an instant, it grew into a small blazing flame. He paid no mind to it. Fire can be an enemy… but during this time… it was his friend.

"Hey! Someone put out the goddamn fire!" Hojo commanded. None of the soldiers dared to move past Vincent to put it out.

Shots came all around him. Before he even realized it, he was suddenly dodging all the bullets, everything coming to him so fast that his brain could barely even process it.

He was running… towards all of those damn soldiers. He raised his left arm… and he slashed down with the claw. Soldiers in the way took the full blow and fell back screaming with claw marks upon their faces.

_**Ahahahaha…**_

Slash, punch. Five more down. Fifteen more to go. Just as he reached out to strike another person, he spasmed and fell over.

"Haha… I think he's out…" one of the soldiers laughed nervously and slowly approached him, his gun raised.

None of the soldiers had noticed, but Vincent saw that his normal hand was turning into a claw. He stared at it in fear, just before another spasm caused him to groan and set the hand down. The soldier began to near him and he was as tense as ever.

_**Hahaha… he's going to die…**_

"Alright you… I don't know what the hell happened to you, vampire man… but you're sure as hell not gon run loose…" the soldier prodded him with his gun, looking back at his friends, he chuckled with relief. "Damn me… if he ain't cold…"

_**Wait for it…**_

Another jab came into his back and all the other soldiers had the nerve to approach. At that instant, he couldn't stand all the jabbing and suddenly leapt up, his claw whipped out at the speed of light and sent all of the soldiers flying backwards into the wall, injured or dead.

He stared at his claws, from his metal one to the other one that had previously been his hand. He flexed it and felt the muscles slowly pull on the bone to make it move. It was his own flesh and blood. Warm crimson liquid were dripping down both of them. He felt like a killer...

… What was he thinking? He was a killer.

_What the hell am I?_ He wondered, a feeling of dread spreading over him. _What has Hojo done to me so I am this way?_

_**You are more…**_

_Who are you?_

There was no answer to that question. His mind was silent. He searched his mind for another being, but he found nothing. Was he going mad? What was this other voice in him? Was it another side of him? Was this like a sick imitation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

"What have you done to me, Hojo!" he screamed in the voice that was not his.

Hojo did not answer. The scientist's eyes were filled with fear and something close to guilt. He backed away, muttering to himself.

Vincent snarled. How could this be? He was something that even Hojo had feared. He looked back at his bloodstained claws. Again he opened his mouth, even though he hated his new voice so much. "I want to see Lucrecia."

The scientist had backed into a corner, watching him with fear. "Guards!" he cried meekly.

Vincent yelled in anger and plunged one of his claws into a machine. Electricity sparked all over the place, adding to the already growing fire. His eyes glowing with anger and hate, he totally lost it and screamed, "LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Hojo pressed against the corner and he trembled. Looking at the wall with fear and regret, he called even louder. "GUARDS!"

Before the scientist could further reveal their location, Vincent's metal claw snapped forward with a "shlink" and grabbed the man's shoulder. His other claw clenched into a large fist and smashed it into his face.

Hojo gave a small cry as the other side of his face smashed into the wall, causing a gash to appear on his cheek. He moaned, eyes rolling upward, and slumped into Vincent's arm.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE!" he screamed, shaking the limp man roughly. When the scientist showed no signs of consciousness, he flung him away like a piece of trash and laughed coldly. "That's all you have…"

_I must see Lucrecia! _The thought burst into his head and he looked up. Looking back at the fire, it continued to grow and approach Hojo.

"Well… I don't have the time to kill you… but the fire does!" he laughed maniacally and then stopped, feeling sick.

_**No time to lose. Find this "Lucrecia."**_

The Turk looked around. There were no signs of immediate danger and he left the room, leaving the fire untended to.

* * *

I've been dead. My writer's block is killing me even further. I apologize to all of you readers! Something is clogging my source of inspiration! Plz! Help it come back alive! Review... tell me your thoughts about this story! Is it crappy? Is it good! I want to know! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**The Phenomenal Child**

_Lucrecia…_

That single word meant everything to him. He began to walk faster. He knew that Hojo had definitely placed her in a different room… but where?

"Lucrecia…" and this time, the word was a plea to the gods. "Please, let me find you. I need you…" he whispered, his red eyes stung.

_**All that romance sickens me.**_

He angrily brushed away that comment. _I don't care what you think._ He ran towards the cells that Hojo usually kept his SOLDIERs overnight. He had been in them once… when he had first gotten an injection. It had been so terrible that he never wanted to relive it ever again. He stopped just when he reached the cells. He couldn't suppress the memories and they flooded towards him, and bile rose in his throat. He swallowed, wincing at the stinging when it burned in his throat.

Looking at the cells, he found that all the doors were opened. All but one. _Convenient_, he thought. _Saves me the trouble of searching through all of them. Now where the hell is that guard?_

Looking around, he grinned when he heard footsteps approaching. "Who's there!" a voice called.

His claw opened and he leaped.

-----

The infant observed his surroundings calmly. He was hungry and had called for his mother many times, but she did not answer. He had called until his little throat had hurt. Finally, a large man entered the room and promptly screamed at him: "SHUT UP!" It had scared the baby and caused him to cry. After a while, it registered in his brain that his mother wasn't there and he decided to change tactics. Rather than calling for his food, he was going to have to find his own.

He squirmed toward the metal door of his cage (he hadn't learned to crawl yet) and studied the lock to it for a long time. Though it was a simple lift-and-open lock, it was quite complex to his infant mind.

He reached out his hand and wrapped his tiny fingers around one of the metal bars of the cage. Feeling the coolness of the bar, his hand shrank back and he stared at it for a long time, wondering why he had felt that sensation. Looking at the bar with curiosity, he poked it with his index finger, and felt the sensation again. It didn't take long for him to realize that the bars were cooler than his body. He pushed at it, the metal door clanged once, shifting forward slightly, and then bounced back to its normal position. This alarmed him, and caused him to fall backwards, nearly crying again. It was quite unusual for a two-day-old baby to have the strength to do this, but it seemed that the Jenova cells that Hojo injected into him were taking effect.

Sephiroth remembered that the crying did him no good and that he had to find appease his hunger. Putting himself upright, he cautiously approached the door, for fear that it would bounce back again. He gently pushed it again, and this time, it clanged quietly. He looked at the door, then at the lock holding it closed. He finally realized that it was the lock that was holding it closed.

He squirmed closer to the door. After thoroughly examining the lock and the door again, he snaked one arm around the door and touched the lock. His small fingers could barely reach the front of the lock. He tried to lift it up, but his fingers, though stronger than a normal baby's, lost what little grip he could get.

He moved closer to the door, so close that his face pressed against the metal. Reaching as far as his little arm could go, he got a grip on the top of the lock and pushed upwards with all strength. With a snap, the lock went up. Slowly dragging himself backwards, he pushed at the door and without much of a fight, the door came free. Looking out, he gave a small toothless smile. He was free.

-----

One of Hojo's scientists monitored Sephiroth's movements through a secret camera. He had been warned by the mad scientist that something like this would happen. He didn't believe it at first… but now that it was happening it was—there were too many adjectives to describe it— phenomenal, incredible…

With a pen in hand and a notebook lying on the table near the television that he was watching. He held his breath when the infant opened the lock. "Incredible!" he almost shouted, and exhaled. "Experiment No. 1. Specimen: Humanoid. Specimen: Sephiroth," he read off of the information that Hojo had already written. Looking at the top of the page, he read the small spidery writing. "JENOVA project."

Looking back at the TV, he watched as Sephiroth found a new antagonist, trying to get down from the high table that his cage was placed on, to the floor. "Day 1. Experiment shows reaction to JENOVA cell injections. Faster development both physically and mentally," he muttered excitedly as his pen flew across the page. "Experiment has already developed problem solving skills."

The scientist winced. His writing was messy but small, nothing like the neatness and sharpness of Hojo's handwriting. _Oh well,_ he thought. _I just hope Dr. Hojo doesn't get angry about this. _

But his attention was turned from his handwriting when he saw little Sephiroth pick up the cage. He immediately began taking notes. "Oh Cetra…" he said, practically hyperventilating. "This is amazing," his pen started going again. "He's able to pick up his own cage… and it's made of enforced titanium steel…"

Sephiroth continued to amaze him when the baby set the box onto the floor, just so that he could drag himself on it. Even though Sephiroth was strong and intelligent for a baby, his body was still not coordinated enough for him to crawl. He almost whooped in joy when the baby's hands touched the floor. He knew that he should report to Hojo immediately, but he waited until Sephiroth had left the room. He turned off the television, and stood up, his heart racing.

Suddenly, with a jolt, he ran towards Hojo's lab, but it wasn't because he was excited about Sephiroth.

He had heard the alarm _come_ from Hojo's lab.

-----

"_IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE!"_

The words rang hollowed against his ears. The voice was so distant so far. He wanted to let go… to let go of the pain that he was feeling all over his body. What had he done?

He didn't know that the Turk would be able to recover so fast. Damn it all… he should have added the extra dose of anesthesia and if not that extra dose… killed him quickly.

_Damn you… Turk! _Hojo thought.

Breathing steadily, smoke rose to his nose and he coughed. His hands went to his face, and it felt damp. He realized that it was blood. He opened his eyes, and squinted when the heat and smoke hit them. His eyes stung and tears welled up. Using the hand that did not touch his blood, he wiped away the tears and stood up. He nearly fell when a wave of vertigo hit him.

He choked on the smoke and went into a fit of coughing. His coughing stopped and his breathing was choked off when his windpipe tightened. Gasping for air, he reached into his lab pockets, searching wildly for his inhaler. Panic rose in his throat as his lungs screamed for air and his hands searching. Reaching into his pant pockets, he drew out the inhaler and brought it to his lips. He pumped once. He still could not draw in air. Another pump. Then another one. He took in a small breath of air and covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his lab coat.

The scientist took one careful step. His head gave a reel, and he nearly stumbled to the ground. He fell to one knee, trying to clear his head. He realized that sweat was dripping down his face. It was getting hot fast. He had to get out of this room fast. After he was out, nothing would go wrong. The fire could not burn through the rooms. Damn it all, he should have listened to the engineer when he asked whether or not to install emergency fire extinguishers. He had declined profusely. A fire in his lab? He laughed at the thought. What the hell would cause a fire in his laboratory? Anyways, if the extinguishers went off by accident, that damn foam and water would ruin his experiments. But damn if it weren't an experiment gone _wrong_ that caused his lab to go up in flames.

Damn his asthma. It had always crippled him. He didn't want his son to be the same way, and the only way to ensure that was to inject him with Jenova cells. Going through a fit of coughing, he fell to one knee, his mind too hazy to let him move on. _Where the hell are my guards!_ He thought, and then he remembered that Vincent killed him all.

Hadn't the alarm gone off? Even though he hadn't installed extinguishers, he had at least installed smoke detectors. Everyone in the floor of the building would hear the alarms and the security would be notified.

What would happen to all of his experiments when he died? All of his work? The Jenova Project? It would all just be for nothing. No one would be able to finish his work. No one would have anything to remember of him. And most of all, what would happen to his son? He would probably be returned to his mother… but he wouldn't survive very long. He had received Jenova cells ever since he had first been conceived. He would be dependent on them until he had gone through puberty. By then the Jenova cells would have already entirely spread through his body, acting like a virus by injecting its DNA into the body cells. The cells would also affect the endocrine, making Sephiroth grow taller and stronger than he should. By then, Sephiroth would be the strongest man alive. A real super-SOLDIER.

No, he would have to survive, even if it meant living a life of misery… with a grotesque body. With all the smoke, he didn't know where the hell he was going. He dragged himself with his hands away from the heat, hoping that, that was the correct way. Dizzy from the lack of air and with his asthma acting up again, it didn't look as if the scientist could survive. If only a little more…

A little further, and suddenly he felt the heat blast in his face. Damn it. The fire probably had already surrounded him, giving him little chance of crawling out without suffering some major burns. Looking blindly around in despair, he gave a choked yell and pounded the floor with his fists. He wasn't going to die now!

He took another breath and gagged. All he got was a breath full of smoke. Why the hell hadn't anyone come yet? Coughing, he rolled himself into a ball, hoping that the fire would die down. He covered his face with the lab coat's sleeve, though it didn't help him breath much, it managed to filter the air from the smoke. Taking a few breaths, he turned his gaze heavenwards. "This is a sick death that you're giving me," he croaked. "To prevent me from finishing my experiment… but damn you, I'll live! Try to stop me!"

As if the Cetra had really heard him, pieces of fiery rubble fell around him. A piece of rubber struck him across the forehead and he fell to the ground, moaning. Warm blood dripped down into his eyes and they stung. Dizzy with terror and pain, he crawled anywhere… anywhere so that he could get away from the death that taunted him.

Heat seared at his face and he moved backwards cursing. Up above, he heard cracking and looked up in fear, his bleary and bloodshot eyes searching for what was to come down at his head. Hearing something collapse, he scrambled on all fours into the opposite direction… but too late.

A large piece of hot metal came down and connected with his head. First there was pain, and his brain screamed at him that he was going to die. He crawled slowly, his forehead bleeding badly. A moan came to his lips, but never rose. Everything was becoming hazy… and the throbbing of his forehead was slowly ebbing away. He collapsed onto the ground, defeated. So this was it. He closed his eyes, and let unconsciousness take him. The last thing he saw was the red tongue of the fire, inches away from him.

* * *

Woot woot! It's only been a month since the last update! Anyways... new play to work on... called the _Nifty Fifties. _Opening night is next week! I can't wait! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Sacrifice**

The scientist ran towards Hojo's laboratory. Already he could smell the smoke, cursing, he forced his already straining legs to carry faster. He was never a marathon runner and that was never going to change. Pumping his arms harder, he propelled himself forward. The alarms were bleating and every so often, flashed red.

Why hadn't anyone else come? What the hell happened to all of Hojo's guards? Hojo usually had at least one or two around. Even though he didn't let them into his laboratory, he was smart enough to station one or two next to the door. Unless of course… his guards also perished in the fire…

He didn't want to think about it. There was a special reason why he worked under Hojo—it wasn't because he respected him—but more so because he knew of Hojo's genius. Hojo couldn't die now… definitely not, with his life's work still needing to be finished…

Reaching the door, he grabbed the doorknob, and immediately regretted it. Snatching his hand back quickly, he felt as if he had just stuck his hand into a pot of boiling water. Pulling the end of his lab coat over his hand, he moved to open the door. What worried him the most was that smoke was pouring from under the door. Slowly turning the doorknob, he hoped for the best, then pulled back.

His heart sunk like a stone. There was a large wall of fire near the entrance. He knew that he had to find the professor. Covering his face with the sleeve of his lab coat, he dove through the flames. He felt the heat for only a second, and then he was through. He found the end of his lab coat on fire, hastily took it off, and threw it to the ground. Coughing after inhaling smoke, he squinted, searching for anything. He almost called out, but he remembered that he needed to save his oxygen supply.

Suddenly, something above him crumbled. He looked up in alarm, but couldn't see anything, he did what his senses told him to do—he leaped forward. As he surged forward, he curled himself and made a dive roll. He made a messy landing, but managed to get back up. He heard something land with impact and whirled around. His path had been blocked by rubble.

It didn't matter now. Adrenaline rushing through his veins and he had second thoughts. His way was blocked and his chance of finding Hojo was very slim. Shaking his head, he knew that it was just the adrenaline affecting him. No… he wouldn't be a coward. Fighting the sensation, he ran…

…And tripped over something quite large.

Cursing, he bent over to examine what it was. The site was something he embraced. It was Professor Hojo. He wasn't sure if the man was still alive or not, but he was covered in burns and needed medical attention. Doing this from the meager training that he had received, he picked up Hojo like a fireman would. The professor wasn't a burden, but he wouldn't be able to run and dive if something did fall on his head.

Turning to what he hoped was the way to the exit, he began walking.

-----

He caught the guard at the throat and drew his hand back, ready to tear the windpipe out of the man. The guard stood, paralyzed. "I-I'll give you whatever you want!" his voice shook with fear.

"The keycard…" Vincent said in a deadly tone. The man looked about ready to refuse, and the ex-Turk quickly added. "Or your life."

_**His life will be taken anyways.**_

Completely unnerved, the man nodded and fumbled in his back pocket for the keycard. Slipping out the small glossy card, he pressed it into Vincent's human hand. "H-h-here… Sir."

Vincent released the man… or tried to. His claw hand refused to open. He understood immediately that it was Chaos.

_He gave me what I needed. Now let him go. _

_**He will tell the first authority figure he bumps into. **_

_What will it matter? We can defeat them._

_**No. All of Shinra will be after us. We cannot defeat all of those super-SOLDIERs. This guard must be disposed of.**_

"I've changed my mind," Chaos said through Vincent's mouth, the guard stiffened with fear. "Do you swear on your life that you will not tell of our meeting?" the guard nodded quickly.

Chaos made Vincent's mouth spread into a grin. The guard gave a weak one in return. Suddenly, his claw shot forward and went straight through the man's heart. The guard gave a weak moan, and after a few seconds, slumped over, dead.

With a shake of his claw, the corpse went flying into the wall, splattering it with crimson. Chaos gave an amused chuckle and walked forward towards the locked cell with only in its mind.

Arriving at the door, he slid the keycard into the slot and waited for a second. There was a beeping noise. The lock verified the card and the door slid up with a _chhh_ sound.

There she was, lying prostrate on the bed, her head buried under a pillow. Her body was quivering and she was making whimpering noises… apparently she had been crying. She looked up slowly… and saw him.

"Lucrecia… I have come. Let's get out of here." Chaos said, trying to sound like Vincent.

"No… go away…"

"Lucrecia… it's me! Vincent!" the beast put on a hurt voice. "Hojo has changed me… turned me into this."

"I'm sorry for all your troubles, Vincent. Save yourself. I no longer wish to live. They're going to turn Sephiroth into an experiment. I could not bear to see that happen to him. It was all my fault… that I allowed Hojo to…"

Vincent knew that Chaos was going to kill. It needed to kill and since Lucrecia was close and defenseless…

_No! You can't kill her!_ He screamed into Chaos's mind, beating it mentally. _DON'T TOUCH HER!_

_**Hahaha… fool… I will rid you of the one thing that I most despise… the thing that my host LOVES!**_

_NOOOOOOOOOO!_

"Do you need help… **killing yourself**?" Chaos said, his voice suddenly turning evil and deep.

Lucrecia looked up, alarmed. "Vincent… what… do you mean? What has Hojo done to you? Are you even Vincent!"

Vincent wrestled control with Chaos. _No! I won't let you kill her! _His mind screamed, and resumed control.

"I'm sorry… Lucrecia… Hojo has put some evil demon in me. I won't be able to fight him for much long—" he cut off, Chaos came in control. "**Hehehe…**" he chuckled, then lunged forward.

_I'm sorry, Lucrecia!_ Vincent's mind screamed, as the claw came crashing down.

Lucrecia screamed.

-----

_Vincent stopped abruptly, unable to finish his tale. "Vincent… what happened? Did you…" Yuffie stopped. "Did she… die?"_

_The man remained silent. "I cannot say," he uttered. "Red… continue your story about Sephiroth. I… cannot say anymore."_

_The red beast nodded. "I understand, Vincent. I'll continue on with Sephiroth's story…"_

-----

Hojo groaned and opened his eyes. He found himself in a hospital bed dressed in a hospital gown. He found that everything was blurry and went to rub his eyes. He found that his left hand was restricted. Looking down, he saw that there was an IV needle in it. Using his right hand he rubbed his eyes. When that didn't help, he realized that he didn't have his glasses on.

He squinted and looked around. His was so nearsighted that squinting didn't help much. Looking around the hospital room, he searched for his glasses. Looking to the right, he saw machines monitoring him. He found it on a table that was close to his bed, but a little too far from his reach. He cursed under his breath, but stopped, suddenly realizing something.

_There was a fire…_ he thought. _How did I get out? I passed out! Who heard my call? _

Not long after thinking to himself, the door to the hospital opened. A white blurry figure walked in. He could just barely make out the features of the person. It was a nurse.

"Sir, you're awake!" she exclaimed.

"Apparently."

The nurse frowned at his reply. "Uhh… sir. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes. Give me my glasses," Hojo replied coldly.

The nurse went to the table and picked up his glasses. Then handed them to him. "Sir, you must be lying down. You have some third-degree burns."

"I don't care. You're giving me the painkillers, I'm not feeling it," he put on his glasses, and finally saw the expression that the nurse had on her face. "So tell me, young lady, what happened to me?"

"A brave scientist heard the alarms go off in your lab and he ran to save you. He came out extremely burned, carrying you. He died before he could get here," the nurse said and added in her head. _He was either very brave or an idiot, but either way I have no idea why he took the trouble to save someone like you._

Hojo blinked in surprise. Someone had saved him? He knew he was a nasty son of a bitch and he liked it that way. It was how the world had treated him before he had power, and this was how he was going to return the favor, now that he was in the President's favor. "And what's the name of the man?"

"His I.D. said that he was Harry Kensington, age 24."

"Ahh a lab assistant. Yes. I knew him. Annoying little twit, liked to kiss my ass a lot," when the nurse gave him a disdainful look, he added. "Not that I'm not grateful for him saving my life! No I'm very grateful! Without him I would never be able to finish the experiments I started," Hojo gave a fake sigh. "But alas, he will never be able to finish his life goals."

_You, you, you!_ _It's all about you!_ The nurse thought angrily, outwardly, she was coldly polite, hardly hiding the rage that was boiling within her. "Well _sir_, it's apparent that you don't need anything else, I shall be going."

Hojo grinned at her, then he hit the jackpot. "Wait! I may have a job offer for you," the woman stopped and looked at him, her eyes blazing with hate. "I need some pretty woman for some of my… experiments."

He saw that the woman was on the verge of punching the door and probably throttling him. She took a deep breath and said, "Sir… I heard that you just had a new son… hopefully… you will change _a lot_… or he will never ever meet you!"

Then the door to the hospital room slammed and everything in the room shook, even Hojo's IV. Hojo laughed hard, then stopped when he thought about her words. If he wanted his son to grow up the correct way… he should have no love. If he was given love, then he would become a soft person… and he would be no soldier material. Hojo smirked; the nurse had indirectly helped him. That's what nurses were like… helping people… even when they didn't mean to.

-----

"Pay attention when I am talking to you boy!"

Spittle flew from the caretaker's mouth and onto the boy's face. He quickly snapped back into attention. He didn't move a muscle, not even to wipe his face. If he did, he would definitely get a beating. He never understood why the caretaker was so angry. After all, he was only a little boy, and one with a short attention span.

"Did you hear me!"

"Yes, sir."

The caretaker was a large belligerent man. He was about six feet tall with big burly shoulders that were covered in gang-related tattoos. He had intense green eyes and a shaved head. There was a slight hint of a stubble on his chin and he, being a heavy smoker, always smelled like the tar that clung to him.

The boy was ready for a beating and squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear the caretaker taking off his belt. He heard it whish upwards and he prepared himself for the excruciating pain that would hit his behind.

But he never felt it. The door to the room suddenly swung open. His eyes snapped open and turned towards the door. He saw a white lab coat and thought that it was perhaps Professor Hojo, but when he saw the man's face, he smiled. It was Professor Gast.

"Now, David. There's no need to beat the boy! He's only five!" Gast said, putting a hand on the caretaker's shoulders.

"But Professor… the boy's disobeying me!" David the caretaker yelled.

Gast glanced over in the boy's direction, the boy swore he winked at him. "Disobedience should never be treated by beatings, Dave. You do understand that it will not teach him, but make him fear and hate you, thus causing him to disobey you even more."

This made the caretaker look confused, his slow brain was still processing Gast's words. "I… I…" he was about to say that he didn't understand, but decided to go with it. "I understand." He said, but his eyes showed that he had no idea what the hell Gast was saying.

"Good! Good!" the professor laughed, knowing perfectly well that he had confused the caretaker, clapping the large man on the shoulder, he added. "Well, you be off then. I need to run some tests on this young sir here. I'll call you back, ok? And if Professor Hojo asks why you aren't doing your job, explain to him that I'm watching Sephiroth, alright?"

David the caretaker nodded then lumbered out the door. As soon as the steel door slid shut, Gast turned around and smiled at the boy. He reached over and ruffled his short, gleaming, silver hair. "Well how are you doing, my boy?" he asked kindly.

Sephiroth stared at the professor with his mako green eyes. Gast noticed that they expressed fear. "Are you really going to test me, Professor?"

The professor's heart was broken, but outwardly, he smiled widely. Is this how Hojo was treating his own son? By running rigorous experiments on a five-year-old boy when these tests were designed for grown men? Gast knew that Sephiroth abhorred Hojo, and didn't have the heart to tell him who his father was. "Now… of course not Sephiroth!" he grinned, reaching into the pocket of his lab coat. "But… I do have something for you!"

Sephiroth seemed to forget all about the beatings. He was absolutely excited. "What! What!"

Gast pulled out a chocolate bar. It was a large bar. He knew that Sephiroth loved chocolate, but only managed to sneak little chocolates to the boy. He managed to smuggle in a large bar this time. "All for you!"

The silver haired boy's eyes grew large. "All for me?" he hugged Gast. "Really, Professor?"

"Absolutely," the professor said, and handed it over to Sephiroth. "Just don't tell Professor Hojo, ok?" he put a hand on the boy's small shoulders and winked at him. "Remember, this is a secret between us only."

"Right!" Sephiroth said.

Professor Gast smiled. "Sephiroth… you can go ahead and go play now, ok?"

Sephiroth gave a huge grin. He nodded excitedly and went over to the small indoor play place that Gast had begged Hojo to give him. As he climbed across the monkey bars, Gast smiled sadly. Sephiroth was like the son he never had. He could never understand why Hojo would treat him this way. No matter how kind he could be to the boy, Sephiroth would always be haunted by Hojo. Until the day of his death.

* * *

Sorry sorry sorry! I'm so sorry for the slow update! This might be the only update for the summer because I don't have my internet at home! Thanks to all the readers who read and reviewed this! Thank you very very much! 


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